This invention pertains to a protective garment for a firefighter or emergency worker, particularly a military or paramilitary firefighter or emergency worker. This invention contemplates that an outer shell of the protective garment is reversible so as to expose, as an outer surface, either an expansive surface of high visibility or an expansive surface of low visibility.
Protective garments for firefighters and emergency workers include coats, trousers, overalls, and coveralls. Currently, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards require a protective garment for a firefighter to have reflective trim, which enhances the visibility of the protective garment and, therefore, the visibility of its wearer under smoke-laden and other adverse conditions. Generally, reflective trim is affixed by sewing, adhesively, or otherwise.
However, for a military or paramilitary firefighter or emergency worker operating where a tactical operation has developed or is expected to develop, a need for low visibility may override a need for high visibility. Heretofore, a military or paramilitary firefighter or emergency worker may have to be issued two types of protective garments, i.e., protective garments to be worn in a tactical operation, in which the need for low visibility overrides the need for high visibility, and protective garments to be worn otherwise.
This invention provides a protective garment for a military or paramilitary firefighter or emergency worker. The protective garment has an outer shell, which has two expansive surfaces, and an inner liner. The expansive surfaces are comprised of a surface of high visibility and a surface of low visibility.
The outer shell is reversible so that, when the protective garment is worn, one said surface becomes an outer surface of the outer shell and the other surface becomes an inner surface of the outer shell. The inner liner is attachable detachably to the outer shell so as to be wearable within whichever of the expansive surfaces becomes the inner surface of the outer shell.
The outer shell has portions that are reflective, fluorescent, or both on the surface of high visibility but not on the surface of low visibility. Those portions may be provided by reflective trim affixed by sewing, adhesively, or otherwise to the shell, on the surface of high visibility. Preferably, when facing outwardly, the surface of low visibility appears black, or at least dark, in ambient light. Alternatively, when facing outwardly, the surface of low visibility displays camouflage.